Revisions

The following revisions were made during the public comment period.

Changes made 4/2/15

“as we live as if we are separate from nature” replaces “and as we separate ourselves from nature”

“Paganism is a family of spiritual paths rooted in ancestral religions throughout the world and predating recorded history.” replaces “Paganism is a family of spiritual paths that include the ancestral religions of all of humanity.”

“Humanity’s actions are radically altering the web of life of which we are a component.” replaces “Humanity’s actions threaten to radically alter the web of life of which we are a component.”

“deities of all genders” replaces “both male and female divinity”

“We are of the Earth, and the Earth is part of us.” replaces “We are the Earth, the Earth is us.”

Changes made 4/5/15

“but rather we are part of Earth” replaces “but rather that we are Earth”

“is part of Earth and its cycles” replaces “is part of Earth and her cycles”

“… deforestation alone destroys an area of forest the size of France every six years.” replaces “… deforestation alone destroys as much forest area as France every six years.”

“Many of our ancestors realized what has now been supported by the scientific method and our expanding knowledge of the universe — that Earth’s biosphere may be understood as a single ecosystem and that all life on Earth is interconnected.” replaces “The ancient realizations of many of our ancestors, that the Earth is itself a living organism and that all life on Earth is interconnected, have been supported now by the scientific method and our expanding knowledge of the universe.”

And all instances of “the Earth” have been replaced with “Earth”:

“The ancient realizations of many of our ancestors, that [the] Earth is …” [see above]

“We are of [the] Earth, and [the] Earth is part of us.”

“[The] Earth is a system with the capacity for self-repair. Therefore, humans need not do anything to heal [the] Earth.”

“… how humanity relates to itself and to other species as part of [the] Earth as a whole.”

“We believe that recognizing our connection as part of [the] Earth itself is a unique facet of what defines us.”

Changes made 4/7/15

The following sentence has been added: “Any economic or political system which encourages the exploitation of the earth and people must be dismantled. This includes capitalism.”

The one reference to “the environment” was replaced with “ecosystem” for consistency with the rest of the statement: “Pagans can aid in the repair of our environment …” We are still discussing whether to change the name of the statement to replace “Environment” with “Ecosystem” or “Ecological”.

“Fundamentally, we believe that a change in spirit is required, one that fosters a new relationship between humanity and other species and Earth as a whole“ replaces “Fundamentally, we believe that a change in spirit is required, one that fosters a change in how humanity relates to itself and to other species as part of the Earth as a whole “

“We are part of Earth, and Earth is part of us.” replaces “We are of Earth, and Earth is part of us.”

“Pagans can aid in the repair of our environment *by teaching* how we are part of life on Earth, *sharing* rituals and ceremonies that foster *bonds* between ourselves and the rest of the web of life, and *instilling a sense of responsibility for how we interact with the* ecosystem — all this creating a culture that can sustain our human society today and for generations to come.” replaces “Pagans can aid in the repair of our environment with our teachings of how we are part of life on Earth, with rituals and ceremonies that foster a bond between ourselves and the rest of the web of life, and instill responsible behavior in how we should interact within our ecosystem — all this creating a culture that can sustain our human society today and for generations to come.”

“Since Earth is a system with the capacity for self-repair, it is able to heal itself. Our human responsibility is not to hinder or thwart this.” replaces “The Earth is a system with the capacity for self-repair. Therefore, humans need not do anything to heal the Earth. We simply need to stop doing harm, and let the healing begin.”

Inserted “and” and changed “with” to “through” in the following sentence: “We must be clear about our agenda, which includes promoting sustainability, distributing resources in a more just and humane fashion, *and* ensuring that our human populations are below the carrying capacity of our planet, *through* voluntary approaches to birth control and equal access to education and work for women.”

“… renewable development and culture wherein all products are intended for longevity, repairability, and easy recycling or composting at the end of their use.” replaces “… renewable development and culture wherein all products are intended for longevity, repairability, and at the end of its use ease of dismantlement to either compost or recycle its parts”

Changes made 4/9/15

“… we must recognize that the challenge before us is not just technical, but also political and spiritual.” replaces “… we must recognize that the challenge before us is not technical but political.”

“Any economic or political system which encourages the exploitation of the earth and people must be dismantled.” replaces “Any economic or political system which encourages the exploitation of the earth and people must be dismantled. This includes capitalism.”

“As Pagans, we believe we are well situated to help imagine and create …” replaces “As Pagans, we believe we are uniquely situated to imagine and create …”

“… ensuring that our human populations are below the carrying capacity of our planet through easy access to voluntary birth control and equal access to education and work for women.” replaces “ensuring that our human populations are below the carrying capacity of our planet through voluntary approaches to birth control and equal access to education and work for women.”

“Therefore we must help build a culture of true sustainability. This does not mean trying to find ways to “sustain” our current levels of consumption or trying to “sustain” economic and political systems which have failed us. Rather, building a truly sustainable culture means transforming the systems of domination and exploitation that threaten our future into systems of symbiotic partnership that support our ecosystem.” replaces “Therefore we must help build a culture of sustainability …”

Changes made 4/12/15

The title of the statement is changed to “*A* Pagan Community Statement on the Environment”.

“we, the signatories” is added to the first paragraph: “A full discussion of the many varieties of Paganism is beyond the scope of this statement, but [we, the signatories,] value life and the natural world as sacred. Thus, Pagan thought leads us to live in harmony with the rhythms of our great Earth.”

Added: “Technical solutions can never move forward without political will, and the necessary political will requires a shift in our most deeply held values and in our very definitions of what it means to be human and of how humanity relates to the world. We recognize this shift as a spiritual imperative.”

“Cutting down a rainforest is no different *from* cutting off a healthy leg or arm.” replaces “Cutting down a rainforest is no different than cutting off a healthy leg or arm.”

Changes made 4/15/15

“Habitat loss continues as consumption increases. Deforestation alone destroys some 150 thousand square kilometers each year, the size of Japan — equivalent to 24 soccer fields every minute.” replaces “Habitat loss continues as consumption increases, and deforestation alone destroys an area of forest the size of France every six years.”

“Technical solutions can never move forward without political will, and the necessary political will requires a shift in our most deeply held values, in our very definitions of what it means to be human, and in how humanity relates to the world.” replaces “Technical solutions can never move forward without political will, and the necessary political will requires a shift in our most deeply held values and in our very definitions of what it means to be human and of how humanity relates to the world.”

“Since Earth is a system with the capacity for self-repair, it is able to heal itself. Our human responsibility is not to hinder or thwart this. *We need to stop doing harm, and let the healing begin.* However, this is not as simple as it sounds. Our global systems of exploitation are not easily dismantled.” replaces “Since Earth is a system with the capacity for self-repair, it is able to heal itself. Our human responsibility is not to hinder or thwart this. However, this is not as simple as it sounds. Our global systems of exploitation are not easily dismantled.”

Changes made 4/18/15

“… each individual, community, and nation …” replaces “…each individual, each community and each nation …”

The following language has been added: “Any economic or political system which encourages the exploitation of Earth and people must be dismantled *or substantially reformed. This includes any system based on endless growth.*”

The following language has been added: “We must be clear about our agenda, which includes promoting sustainability, *reforming our food systems for the benefit of humans, other living beings and the greater ecosystem*, distributing …”

The paragraphs in the “What we can do” section have been reordered from …

“Since Earth is a system with the capacity for self-repair…”

“There are certain actions we can take now…”

“Any economic or political system which encourages the exploitation of Earth…”

“Above all, we must recognize that the challenge before us is not just technical…”

“It is a collective challenge that requires a collective solution…”

“Pagans can aid in the repair of our environment by…”

“In addition, there is a deeper and more profound change that is needed. Fundamentally, we believe that a change in spirit is required…”

“As signatories, we …”

“We hold that living a fulfilling and meaningful life, and allowing the same for future generations, is only possible if the entire Earth is healthy….”

to …

“Since Earth is a system with the capacity for self-repair…”

“There are certain actions we can take now…”(combine)”Above all, we must recognize that the challenge before us is not just technical…”

“It is a collective challenge that requires a collective solution…”

“Any economic or political system which encourages the exploitation of Earth…”

“In addition, there is a deeper and more profound change that is needed. Fundamentally, we believe that a change in spirit is required…”(combine)”Pagans can aid in the repair of our environment by…”

“As signatories, we …”(combine)”We hold that living a fulfilling and meaningful life, and allowing the same for future generations, is only possible if the entire Earth is healthy….”

Additional changes made 4/18/15

“We recognize that nature encompasses humanity and the planet” replaces “We recognize that nature encompasses *all living things,* humanity and the planet *included*”

“when we live as if we are separate from nature, we diminish” replaces “when we live as if we are separate from nature, *we see that* we diminish”

“In recent decades, many contemporary Pagan religious traditions” replaces “In recent decades, *since the revival of what has been termed “Neo-Paganism” and the “Back to the Land” movement of the 1960s,* many contemporary Pagan religious traditions”

“The very atoms of which we are composed” replaces “The very atoms we are made of connect us”

“Since Earth is able to heal itself, we need to stop doing harm, and let the healing begin.” replaces “Since Earth *is a system with the capacity for self-repair, it* is able to heal itself. *Our human responsibility is not to hinder or thwart this.* We need to stop doing harm, and let the healing begin.”

“There are certain actions we can take now.” replaces “There are certain actions we can take now, *which have inherent value in terms of living rightly with the rest of the web of life*.”

“Above all, we must recognize that the challenge before us is not just technical, but also political and spiritual.” is deleted

“It is a collective challenge” replaces “It is a collective challenge *that requires a collective solution*”

“Therefore we must build a culture of true sustainability.“ replaces “Therefore we must *help* build a culture of true sustainability.“

“through access to voluntary birth control, education, and work for women” replaces “through *easy* access to voluntary birth control *and equal access to* education and work for women.”

“The energy-efficient, sustainable economy of the future will be one with the shortest distances between production, consumption and recycling of byproducts (whether it be remanufactured at a recycling plant or recycled within the ecosystem as compost).” is deleted

“We should be operating in a closed loop system” replaces “*In essence,* we should be operating in a closed loop system”

Added comma: “We strive in our worship, work, play, and daily lives”

“all this creating cultures” replaces “all this creating a culture”

Changes made 4/20/15

“We will continue to educate members of our community …” replaces “We will continue to educate our clergy and members of our community …”

“We must be clear about our agenda, which includes promoting sustainable, local economies …” replaces “We must be clear about our agenda, which includes promoting sustainability …”

“… through access to voluntary birth control, and equal access to education and work for women.” replaces “… through access to voluntary birth control, education, and work for women.”

(re-)added: “The sustainable economy of the future will be one with the shortest distances between production, consumption and recycling of byproducts.”